Four Seasons Hotel Shenzhen

Four Seasons Tenure

• Originally since 1994
• First Four Seasons Assignment: First Cook, Four Seasons Hotel Vancouver (formerly a Four Seasons hotel)

Employment History

• Mandarin Oriental Hotel Shanghai, China; Mandarin Oriental Hotel Sanya, China; Four Seasons Resorts Maldives; Peninsula Palace Hotel Beijing, China; Four Seasons Hotel Washington DC; Four Seasons Hotel Austin; Four Seasons Resort and Club Dallas at Las Colinas; The Regent Hotel Hong Kong, China; Four Seasons Hotel Berlin (formerly a Four Seasons hotel); Intercontinental Hotel, Scotland; Four Seasons Hotel Vancouver (formerly a Four Seasons hotel); New World Hotel, Vancouver, Canada

Education

• Culinary Arts Program, Vancouver Vocational Institute, Canada

Birthplace

• St. Boniface, Manitoba, Canada

Languages Spoken

• English

Stuart Newbigging’s thirty-year culinary career, from award-winning executive chef to director of food and beverage, began in St. Boniface, the Canadian town of his birth. Young Stuart’s eyes were opened to the transformative power of food, and set him on the path to becoming a chef.

After training in the Culinary Arts at Vancouver College – and his first apprenticeship in Canada – Stuart set his sights on honing his skills in the finest restaurants and hotels across Europe, Asia and the US, from bustling cities to far-flung islands.

Years spent savouring “the pleasure of guests enjoying the food I cook” soon developed a skillset that inspired him to take a bigger picture approach. Progressing into food and beverage management roles, his aptitude for guiding his teams was first evident during his tenure at Four Seasons Resorts Maldives: overseeing 52 chefs across isolated island venues; leading his team to success in culinary competitions and industry accolades; launching a unique Ayurvedic culinary concept, and conjuring gourmet delights from India, the Maldives, Asia, Europe and the Americas in the middle of the Indian Ocean aboard Four Seasons only floating resort, Four Seasons Explorer.

At the heart of Stuart’s accomplishments lies an unwavering belief in the importance of uniting every facet of the service operation, from the kitchen team to stewards and front of house professionals. “What makes a team greater is teamwork,” he comments. “For me, it’s not about individual achievement but creating a team that understands and supports each other’s role. When you have that in place, success follows naturally.”

It’s this ability to create superlative experiences for guests through aligned teamwork that Stuart is excited to bring to his role at Four Seasons Hotel Shenzhen. Here, he oversees a team of 115 chefs, 11 stewards and 112 front of house staff across 10 renowned dining, banqueting and function venues. It’s an intense role but Stuart’s unswerving energy and experience are the perfect complement to the Hotel’s upbeat interiors and city-wide reputation.  

A keen sportsman who enjoys keeping fit, Stuart also loves exploring the hidden culinary gems of his new city home. His natural creativity finds a further outlet in culinary arts and he can often be found on his days off at industry events and shows, marvelling at elaborate ice carvings, wedding cakes, gingerbread houses and tallow sculptures – the latter being a particular skill of his, and he even has the gold medals to prove it!